Canadiens Lineup

Jonathan Drouin – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher

Paul Byron – Max Domi – Joel Armia

Tomas Tatar – Nick Suzuki – Artturi Lehkonen

Ryan Poehling – Nate Thompson – Nick Cousins

Victor Mete – Shea Weber

Ben Chiarot – Jeff Petry

Brett Kulak – Cale Fleury

Carey Price – Keith Kinkaid

Christian Folin, Jordan Weal, Mike Reilly

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Game Report

All’s well that ends well, I suppose.

But should Marc Bergevin be just a little concerned that the Canadiens last two games against bottom feeders have been nail biters? Montreal squeaked by the Kings on Saturday night and needed extra time against the Blue Jackets.

It should also be noted that the Habs have been heavily leaning on their goaltender lately. Carey Price has been named an official star in each of the past three games; two first stars and a second.

As mentioned in previous recaps, a home-heavy schedule in November against non-playoff teams is the time when Montreal must stockpile points. And so far they are. But is this method sustainable?

Bergevin chose to sit on Geoff Molson’s wallet this summer. Presently, the Canadiens find themselves with the Blue Jackets and Senators at the bottom of the league in terms of cap spending. Montreal’s current cap surplus is calculated at more than $7.2 million by CapFriendly.

Is Paul Byron playing like a second line scoring winger? Does Brett Kulak belong in the lineup of a team with playoff aspirations? Adding a top six scoring winger and a top pairing defenceman were needs when the off-season began and remained unfilled when the puck dropped on the new season. 

Tonight after sleep-walking through two periods, the Canadiens found a way to bank two points. Thanks Carey Price! But Bergevin needs to be upgrading the talent on this team soon. 

Following the game, the Habs announced that Ryan Poehling was re-assigned to the Laval Rocket. The Canadiens will practice at 11 am. on Wednesday at Brossard. 

Plus / Minus

▲  Carey Price, Jeff Petry, Artturi Lehkonen, Nick Suzuki, Cale Fleury

▼  Brett Kulak, Nate Thompson, Ryan Poehling, Max Domi